A new program will make academic interventions and general advising more personal and specific to the student, Dean Kahler said.
In a presentation to the University of Idaho Faculty Senate Wednesday, Kahler, UI vice provost for Strategic Enrollment Management, said Vandal Star will merge several of the programs that already collect data on students into one platform that is more easily accessible to advisors, students and faculty.
Vandal Star, a software run by Starfish, will make data from Blackboard, VandalWeb and other UI data programs available in one place. Kahler said if a faculty member does not use Blackboard, they can manually input information into Vandal Star. Kahler the level of information available will depend on if they are a student, faculty member or advisor.
Kahler also said Vandal Star will be comparable to the Banner program the university is already using to collect data and advise students.
Kahler said ASUI has been very involved in the process — ASUI named Vandal Star. Kahler also said he has met with ASUI President McKenzie MacDonald, and that she expressed support for the program and the plan to implement it. Jesse Watson, ASUI representative to Faculty Senate, said a majority of the students agree with the implementation of the program.
“The students, under my impression, want this in order to succeed. That’s what the students have said,” Watson said. “ASUI has said that, the ASUI president has said that and students have come and said that they want this program. If that isn’t the most powerful voice on campus I don’t know what is. If they want this program then they need this program.”
Some faculty senators also expressed concern regarding the surveillance on students that the program will entail. Other senators expressed concern that Vandal Star would place labels on students that could deeply affect the way faculty members and advisors view them and their abilities.
Faculty Senate Secretary Liz Brandt said one mistake by a student during a tough time could hurt the student if an advisor were to see it on Vandal Star without sufficient context. Brandt said knowing the information would be available elsewhere would greatly change the way she inputs information into Blackboard.
Kahler also spoke about the importance of retention and new efforts to boost retention rates like the Vandal Success Program, which will be located in the Idaho Commons, as well as each individual college.
Also at the meeting, Provost John Wiencek briefly spoke about enrollment numbers. Wiencek said enrollment numbers are in but not yet official. However, he said he is confident enough to say enrollment is over 12,000 in a slight increase from last year. Wiencek said the university struggled with first year enrollment this year, but that other groups such as dual credit and international students are growing.
Bobbi Gerry, new assistant vice provost for Strategic Enrollment Management, spoke of her goal to create a more centralized platform and website for all students who are taking courses online. Gerry also said making all UI degrees and courses available online is a goal of her department.
“We don’t want to be just an extension,” Gerry said. “We want (online students) to be a part of the vandal family. We’re not trying to take a photo copy of what we do on campus and just deliver it in a distance platform. We want it to be very meaningful about how we do it so they still feel like included, supported and represented when we talk about our populations on campus.”
Elizabeth Marshall can be reached at [email protected]